Vintage Harden Performance Keeps Clippers a Notch Above in Play-In Standings

Wednesday night in Los Angeles, James Harden recorded his first 50-point game as a Clipper. It was also the 24th time in his career that Harden has reached 50 points in a game. 

The Clippers (33-29) defeated the Detroit Pistons (35-28) 123-115 from Intuit Dome. With the score 57-57 at halftime, the Clippers scored 30-plus points in both the third and fourth quarters. 

Harden, who also had 5 assists and 4 rebounds, has taken the reins in Los Angeles due to Paul George’s offseason departure and Kawhi Leonard’s issues. Harden is the engine that makes the Clippers go, and players like Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac have enjoyed outstanding seasons. 

Bojan Bogdanovic, a trade deadline acquisition from the Atlanta Hawks, scored 23 points on Wednesday night (8-for-16) while Zubac put up 22 points and 11 rebounds on 11-for-20. 

Cade Cunningham, a 1st-time all-star this season, put together a dominant performance of 37 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds on 15-for-25 from the field (2-for-7 from downtown). Dennis Schroder scored 21 points with 7 assists and 6 rebounds on 8-for-19 (5-for-9 from deep). 

The story of the evening though was Harden, whose vintage performance gave the Clippers a big win at home against a solid eastern opponent. The Clippers are one game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for 7th in the conference.